Postpartum Depression (PPD)
Conditions
Keywords
Paternal perinatal depression, father, self-compassion
Brief summary
To investigate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of an online mindfulness and self-compassion intervention for the mental health in fathers experiencing paternal perinatal depression (PPD).
Detailed description
The pilot non-RCT will be assessed using an online survey and semi-structured individual interviews. Preliminary effectiveness measures include self-compassion, emotion regulation, resilience, parenting sense of competence, parental stress, marital satisfaction, insomnia, generalized anxiety, and PPD measured at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-month follow-up. Mixed-effects models will test changes between groups, while directed content analysis will be employed for qualitative data.
Interventions
Participants in the intervention group will receive five consecutive weekly sessions, with each session lasting 2 hours (totaling 10 hours). Each session will include an introduction, guided exercises, group discussions and home practice.
Sponsors
Hong Kong Metropolitan University
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Intervention model description
non-RCT with a waiting-list control group
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* aged 18 years or above * the biological father who is expecting or the biological father of infants within 24 months old * experienced mild to moderate anxiety (5 ≤ GAD ≤14) or depression symptoms (5≤ PHQ ≤ 19) * sufficient comprehension of Cantonese * currently live in Hong Kong * able to provide informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* currently experiencing psychosis * having an intellectual disability * experiencing current suicidal ideation * participation in a similar study or received similar services in the past year
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Paternal perinatal depression | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 months. | Paternal perinatal depression will be measured using the Chinese version of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). The total score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher total scores indicating higher levels of depressive symptoms. The scale is reliable in the Chinese population (Cronbach's α = 0.82). |
| Anxiety | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 months. | Anxiety symptoms will be measured using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). The total score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher total scores indicating higher levels of anxiety symptoms. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Emotion regulation | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 months | Emotion regulation will be measured by the 10-item Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). It includes two subscales: Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Items are rated on a 7-point scale (1=Strongly Disagree to 7=Strongly Agree). The total score for cognitive reappraisal ranges from 0 to 42, and the total score for expressive supression ranged from 0 to 28. Higher scores mean more frequent use of that strategy.The Cronbach's alpha was 0.82 and 0.77 for cognitive reappraisal and suppression, respectively. |
| Self-compassion | From enrollment to the end of intervention at 2 months | Self-compassion will be measured using the 12-item short version of the self-compassion scale (SCS). Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Almost Never) to 5 (Almost Always). The total score ranged from 12 to 60, with higher score indicating higher level of self-compassion. The scale has demonstrated good internal consistency in Chinese sexual minorities (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87) |
| Resilience | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 months. | Resilience will be measured by the six-item brief resilience scale (BRS). Items are rated on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). The total score ranges from 6 to 30, with higher score indicating higher level of resilience. |
| insomnia | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 months. | Insomnia will be measured using the 7-item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Items are measured on five point likert scale (0-4). The total score of 0-28, with higher scores meaning worse insomnia. |
| Parent sense of competency | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 months. | Participant's sense of parent competency will be measured using the 17-item Parent Sense of Competency Scale (PSOC). Items are rated on a 6 point Likert scale anchored by 1 = "Strongly Disagree" and 6 = "Strongly Agree". The total score ranged from 17 to 102, with higher score indicating high level of parent competency. |
| Parental stress | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 months. | Parental stress will be measured using the 17-item of the Chinese version of Parental Stress Scale (PSS). Items are raged on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 6 = strongly agree). The total score ranges from 17 to 102, with higher score indicating higher level of parental stress. |
Countries
Hong Kong
Outcome results
None listed